Category: Hagiology
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First Exile: Earthquake and Aftermath
Until AD 381, the Church of Alexandria was among the most prominent patriarchates in the Eastern Church. After the Second Ecumenical Council, however, Constantinople became the new capital of the Empire and was granted precedence in the East (Canon 3 of the Second Ecumenical Council). This change provoked a strong reaction from Alexandria. As a…
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Empress Eudoxia and Saint John Chrysostom: The Causes of Their Conflict
Empress Eudoxia was highly ambitious, and it was inevitable that such an empress would come into conflict with the dynamic and uncompromising Archbishop of Constantinople, John Chrysostom. And so it happened. The Widow’s Vineyard At that time, there was a law stating that if the Emperor or Empress entered a vineyard and ate grapes from…
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How St. John Chrysostom Became Archbishop of Constantinople
Twelve years had passed since Saint John Chrysostom was ordained a priest in Antioch. He had become deeply united with the faithful, serving them with humility and spiritual wisdom within the Early Christian Church. Yet, divine providence was guiding him toward a greater mission in the Byzantine Church. At that time, the Archbishop of Constantinople,…
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Saint John Chrysostom: His Ordination and the Miracles That Followed
Continuing our presentation of important moments from the life of Saint John Chrysostom, and drawing from George of Alexandria’s Exegesis: The Life, Conduct, and Miracles of Our Holy Father, Ecumenical Teacher, and Archbishop John Chrysostom (Chs. 14–17), published by Archangels Publications (U.S.A.), we now turn to one of the most remarkable events in the life…
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St. Basil the Great and the Deliverance from Demonic Bondage
St. Basil the Great, as Archbishop, succeeded in snatching from the belly of the devil a young man who had voluntarily surrendered himself to him. In Caesarea, a Christian servant fell in love with the only daughter of his wealthy master, named Proterius, and wished to marry her. However, neither the girl nor her parents…
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Why Is There Disorder in the Church? St. Basil the Great Explains
?ote: The following text is a free theological rendering of PG 31:653–676, St. Basil the Great’s On the Judgment of God. It seeks to convey the theological spirit and moral urgency of St. Basil’s thought, rather than provide a strict literal translation. ?riefly. When St. Basil entered into the “inner realities” of the Church…
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Sufferings Through the Eyes of St. Basil the Great
Seeing the many trials that occur both in the world and in the Church, Saint Basil the Great composed a homily addressing a central theological question: “That God Is Not the Cause of Evils” (where “evils” refers to afflictions and human suffering, not to sin). He describes evil as “a subject much debated” (PG 31:33).…
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Five Little-Known Miracles of St. John Chrysostom
Continuing our presentation of important aspects of the life of St. John Chrysostom, and drawing on George I of Alexandria’s Exegesis: The Life, Conduct, and Miracles of Our Holy Father, Ecumenical Teacher, and Archbishop John Chrysostom (Chs. 8–19), we present five selected miracles of the Saint. 1. Healing a Blind Eye A believer from Antioch…
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St. John Chrysostom shocked the Athenians.
George I, Patriarch of Alexandria (7th century), authored the work: “Exegesis, namely, the Life, Conduct, and Miracles of our Holy Father, Ecumenical Teacher, and Archbishop John Chrysostom”. It contains unknown and fascinating details about the life of Saint John. It was published for the first time (text and translation) by the current professor of the…